Frustration abounds for unfortunate Portugal

Were expectations met?Portugal's qualification via the play-offs should have served as a warning for the UEFA EURO 2012 semi-finalists. Captain and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo scored all four of Portugal's goals in that play-off tie against Sweden and, bearing in mind the 29-year-old's record-breaking season for Real Madrid CF, qualification from the group stage was considered a minimum requirement. However, the FIFA Ballon d'Or winner came into the tournament with a knee problem, while further injuries – to the likes of Fábio Coentrão, Hugo Almeida, Hélder Postiga and Rui Patrício – as well as Pepe's dismissal against Germany, blighted Portugal's campaign.

What the media sayA Bola: Frustration. Portugal were simply unable to score the goals that would have taken them through to the next stage.

Record: Cristiano Ronaldo after elimination: "It was possible after all." The captain scored his 50th goal [against Ghana] but missed four opportunities.

What they sayPaulo Bento: "The overall analysis is negative as we did not achieve the main goal we had for the tournament [to go through the group stage]. After the three matches we probably deserve what we got; the two teams that go through deserve it. We were too affected by the first game as it had a big impact on the team despite the good reaction in the following matches."

PositivesPortugal did not start well, with that embarrassing defeat by Germany, but the team gradually improved despite the injuries and Pepe's suspension. Against Ghana they were better defensively and in attack as they created many opportunities to score. Manchester United FC's Nani was in good shape and Ronaldo improved each match, giving the impression he was gradually reaching the form he showed in that play-off.

Room for improvementConceding seven goals in three matches highlighted Portugal's need to solidify at the back. Pepe's red card in the first game and Coentrão's injury did not help as the team is short of back-up options. In attack, the Selecção were unfortunate in the sense that Almeida and Postiga suffered minor ailments, while Éder could not offer what was needed.

Emerging talentWilliam Carvalho started the competition on the bench, with Paulo Bento relying on the experience of Miguel Veloso, João Moutinho and Raul Meireles. However, André Almeida's injury against the United States prompted Bento to move Veloso to left-back and bring Carvalho into midfield. The 22-year-old Sporting Clube de Portugal player added strength and passing ability in the middle, with SL Benfica's Rúben Amorim an able assistant against Ghana.

European QualifiersPortugal kick off UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group I at home to Albania on 7 September. In a section also featuring Denmark, Serbia and Armenia, Portugal will look to re-establish their reputation as one of the continent's top teams.

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